File



March 27, 1934. R. L. HARDEN FILE Filed Aug. 22, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .5. 5A n?Y ILM M R Patented Mar. 27, 1934 uNrriazo STATES FILE Ralph L. Harden, Attleboro Falls, Mass., assigner to The Mason Box Company, Attleboo Falls, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application VAugust 22, 1933, Serial No. 686,215

6 Claims.

other subject-matter may be filed. A characteristiey feature of the improved le comprises means for hinging the box' to the back so that the box may be swung forwardly from the back to afford ready access to the le contents, the box lying against the back when not in use. The Vback may be provided with a plurality of boxes in which case they are preferably arranged in superposition along the front side of the back in closely spaced relationship so that eachsuperposed box is close enough to the next underlying box to obstruct the contentsof the latter from spilling out when the boxes are in normal position against the back. Preferably the upper box is xedly mounted and provided with a flap to Vclose its upper open end. y In the preferred form of the invention the back is made in two parts hinged together to open and close like a book, With a space therebetween,l

when closed, equal to the thickness of each box or, when boxes are mounted on both parts of the A back, equal to twice the thickness of the boxes.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention a concrete embodiment is shown in the accompanying drawings in whichz- Y Fig. 1 is a face view of a le in open position;

Fig. 2 is a front edge view of the le in closed position;

Fig. 3 is a similar view ofthe right-hand half of the le with some of the boxes swung away from the back;

:,40 Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-,4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is for a rear View of a preferred form of box for use according to this invention;

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. '7 is a sectional View of a back carrying a 1,45 box like that of Figs. 5 and 6.

The particular embodiment of the invention chosen for the purpose of illustration comprises a back 1 which may be constructed like the back of a book with hinge creases at 2 to permit the ji back to be opened from the condition shown in Figs. 2 and 4 to that of Fig. 1. Mounted on the front side of each half of the back are three boxes 3 which may be formed of cardboard or other suitable material. For the purpose of illus- 'Y 55 tration the boxes 3 are shown in the drawings as lled with cards 4. The rear side of each of the uppermost boxes is fastened to the back in suitable rmanner as by a layer of cement. These uppermost kboxes are preferably provided with flaps 8 for closing the open upper endsof the 60 boxes when the le is not in use, the flaps folding over the front sides of the boxes and being held closed by engagement with each other when the backs are moved to the closed position shown in Figs. 2 and 4. Each of the lower boxes is hinged 65 to the back by means of a hinge 5 which may comprise a piece of cloth cemented to the back and boxes respectively as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Access toV the contents of these boxes is afforded through their open upper ends. When the boxes 70 are folded back against the parts 1 the contents 0f each ofthe underlying boxes are prevented from spilling out by the bottom of the next superposed box. When the boxes are swung out as shown in Fig. 3 the contents of the `boxes are 75 readily accessible. `If the file be supported in vertical position when the boxes are swung out the contents can not spill out for the reason that the boxes can not swing beyond horizontal position shown in Fig. 3 because the bottoms of the boxes go seat against the box when this position isreached. When vthe boxes are swung away from the back with the back lying in horizontal position the boxes are of course in vertical position when they reach their limiting position perpendicular to 35 the back.

The preferred box construction shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7 comprises a single piece of heavy paper cut and folded to provide a front 1l, back 12, an end 13, and an end 14 having an integral exten- :9o sion 15 overlapping the back and cemented thereto. Integrally connecting with the front 11 along its lower edge is an extension comprising a bottom 16 and a portion 1'7 extending upwardly through the box along the front face of the back^ 12 and thence projecting at the top in the form of a ap closure 18 corresponding to the flap 8 of Figs. l, 2, and 3. The back l2 is also provided at its lower end with an integral extension in the p form of a flap 19 which is folded rearwardly along the line 2O and cemented to the front of the back 21 as indicated at 22. One end of the extension 17 may be cut back as indicated at 23 in Figs. 5 and 6. e

From the foregoing it will be evident that this invention` affords a portable filing device of extreme simplicity and economy of construction, at the same time affording marked convenience in use together with adequate protection againstl accidental loss of led subject-matter when carrying the le about.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A le comprising a supporting back having a plane face, a plurality of boxes superposed one above the other along the back with openings at their upper ends, and hinges interconnecting the back to the lower end of each underlying box at the rear lower corner of the box so that when the open end of the box is swung `forwardly away from the back the bottom of the box seats against said plane face before the box has swung forwardly substantially more than ninety degrees.

2. A le comprising a supporting back, a plurality of boxes superposed one above the other along the back with openings at their upper ends and with the bottom of each superposed box presented to the opening in the next underlying box, the bottoni of each superposed box being close enough to the opening in the next underlying box to obstruct the contents of the latter from spilling out, and hinges interconnecting the lower end of each underlying box to the back so that the open end of each underlying box may be swung forwardly to give access to its contents.

3. A file comprising a supporting back, a plurality of boxes superposed one above the other along the back with openings at their upper ends,

means for closing the opening of the upper box, the open end of each underlying box being close enough to the bottom of the next superposed lbox for said bottom to obstruct the contents of the underlying box, means for xedly mounting the upper box with its rear face against the back, and hinges interconnecting the back to the lower end of each underlying box so that the open end of the box may be swung forwardly to give access to its contents.

4. A file v`comprising a pair of supporting backs, a plurality of boxes superposed one above the other 'along the inside of each back with openings at their upper ends and with the vbottom of each superposed box presented to the opening in the next underlying box, hinges interconnecting the lower end of each underlying box to a back so that the open end of the box may be swung forwardly away from the back, and means for interconnecting the two backs so that they fold together with a space therebetween approximately equal to twice the thickness of each of said boxes, the boxes on the two backs being directly opposed so that when the backs are closed the boxes register with each other `and hold each other closed.

5. A le comprising a pair of supporting backs having plane faces, a plurality of boxes superposed one above the other along the inside of each back with openings at their upper ends, the bottom of each superposed box being close enough to the opening in the next underlying box to obstruct the contents of the latter from spilling out, hinges interconnecting the lower end of each underlying box to a back at the rear lower corner of the-box so that when the open end of each underlying box is swung forwardly to give access to its contents the bottom of the box seats against the plane face o-f the back before the box has swung forwardly substantially more than ninety degrees, and means for interconnecting the two backs so that they fold together with a space therebetween approximately equal to twice the thickness of each of said boxes, the boxes on the two backs being directly opposed so that when the backs are closed the boxes register with each other and hold each other closed.

6. A le comprising a pair of supporting backs,

.a plurality of boxes superposed one above the,

its rear face against a back, hinges interconnect-- ing the lower end of each underlying box to-a back so that the open end of the box may be swung forwardly to give access to its contents, and means for interconnecting the two backs so that they fold together with a space therebetween approximately equal to twice the thickness Vof `each of said boxes.

RALPH L. HARDEN. 

